"The Rubaiyat conjures up the spirit of ancient Persia in the time of the
revered poet and sets his immortal lines in a framework of musically
haunting images that evoke the fragility of life and of love - the
fragility of everything, except fate. By the interweaving of narration,
orchestra, and accordion, the composer demonstrates that the
imperishability of the poetry is matched by the inevitability of the
music," - Tom Carlson, from the liner notes of the world premiere
recording by Andre Kostelanetz and the New York Philharmonic released on
Columbia Masterworks in 1977.

Now, nearly two decades later, "The Rubaiyat" has finally been recorded a
second time, in this case on the Delos label, and it is every bit as
expressive and exciting as the first recording, which featured Douglas
Fairbanks Jr. as narrator and Carmen Carrozza as accordionist.

I was, at first, tempted to compare the two recordings, (on the whole
Douglas Fairbanks narrates with more passion and drama than Michael York,
and Diane Schmidt's accordion seems to have a sweeter and more mellow
sound than Carmen Carrozza's) but after listening to them one after
another, I concluded that both recordings, although distinctive in flavor,
(actually there are some minor musical revisions in the score) are also
remarkably similar to each other.

For example, the original Kostelanetz recording is 13 minutes 52 seconds
long and the Schwarz recording is 13 minutes 51 seconds long! This seems
to indicate that both conductors took great pains to carefully follow the
directions of the composer. Alan Hovhaness himself was present at the
recording sessions of the recent Delos release and assisted in preparing
the disc.

Alan Hovhaness, born in 1906, professes a strong dislike for serial music
and other types of modern music that he describes as "machine music." He
is firmly convinced that for music to be accepted and successful, it must
be tonal and melodic. "People must get pleasure out of music. It must
sound good." (interview with Daniel A. Binder)

The accordion is the featured solo instrument in the work and is blessed
with many beautiful melodies, some gentle and lyrical and some driving and
rhythmic. Many are derived from modes and seem to have a middle-eastern
origin. Ms. Schmidt plays her part superbly and is prominently mentioned
in the CD booklet. She received her Masters in Music in composition at the
University of Washington and presently teaches theory and composition
through the Seattle Community College system.

She won the World Accordion Competition (classical) in 1971, against a
field traditionally dominated by Russians and Europeans. She has performed
with Luciano Pavorotti and with chamber music groups such as the
Philadelphia Quartet. She also recorded the Paul Creston Concerto for
Accordion and Orchestra with the Seattle Youth Symphony.

"The Exile Symphony," Hovhaness' first symphony (1936) was inspired by the
tragic plight of the Armenian people who endured severe persecution in
Turkey in the 1930s and were forcibly exiled. One hears Oriental
influences in the modal tonalities.

"Meditation on Orpheus" is a rather dark work which depicts that part of
the Orpheus legend that describes the Greek hero's descent into the
underworld in search of his deceased wife, which results in his own
subsequent death. The piece includes ominous gongs, rippling harp, throaty
bass of growlings, a rush of wind created by the strings playing fast
random passages, and a fearsome crescendo for the brasses at the
conclusion.

"Fantasy on Japanese Woodprints" Op. 211 (1965) evokes mystical
atmospheres of the Far East with microtonal slides, pentatonic scales and
the delicate use of the marimba, expertly played by Ron Johnson, marimbist
for the Seattle Symphony for 30 years. A very memorable section of the
piece for me is the oboe and clarinet solos about halfway into the work,
which are note-for-note direct quotes from the second movement of
Hovhaness' "Suite for Accordion" Op. 166 written in 1959! Composers
frequently borrow themes from other pieces, even by other composers, and
Mr. Hovhaness is no exception.

This fine recording is a delight to listen to and I recommend it for all
classical accordion lovers.

The Henry Doktorski-Review on Hovhaness' "Rubaiyat" was
a great pleasure for me to read. Mr. Doktorski gives a
straight and conclusive impression of this extraordinary
work by Alan Hovhaness.

By the way: I am a German music-critic, very interested in
- and of course touched by - the work of Alan Hovhaness.
In Europe, Hovhaness was nearly unknown until the early Nineties.
Now there is finally a slightly increasing interest for this
great composer and truly outstanding, unique genius of music.